School Step Confessions
by Mia M. Turner
Summary: Mike finds Bella sitting on the steps of Forks High School, clearly upset by her uncomfortable Biology class with Edward Cullen. Seeing that no one else seems to care, Mike takes it upon himself to cheer her up. One-sided Mike/Bella.


**A/N:** So this is my first time venturing into the Twilight fandom, and I'm terrified, to be honest with you all :P I'm new to the Twilight universe; just recently became a fan, and the last thing I wanna do is mess up a story in the fic section... I'm definitely not new to writing for this site though, so I figured I've give it a shot. I know this fic is short and a bit lacking in plot, but that's because I'm testing the waters with this one before I go onto anything more serious.

Yes, I'm one of the six people on the planet who is Team Mike. :P I feel bad that the poor guy is cast in such a negative light in all these stories when he's such a sweetie in the books. I'm an Edward fan and all, but poor Mike needs a lil lovin' too. That's where this idea came in. This is meant to take place the day after Edward and Bella's first meeting. Thought I'd throw in a few more details about what might have happened in between then.

Finally, I want everyone to know that I didn't steal the last line of this fic :P I'm paying homage to it. I doubt anyone's going to accuse me of stealing it since the reference is so obvious, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

Please enjoy and review :) Reviews make it easier for me to find my stride.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight.

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He hated him.

He absolutely and assuredly _hated_ Edward Cullen.

It wasn't because he made all the girls in school drool at the mere mention of his name. It wasn't because of his strange mannerisms. It wasn't even because he was moving in on the girl of his dreams.

...Okay, it was _partly_ because of that.

But mostly it was due to one very important fact:

He'd made Bella cry.

...Alright, technically he hadn't made her full-out _cry_. But what else, exactly, could you call sitting on the steps, holding your head in your hands, and blinking back tears?

Mike bit his lower lip as he stared at the brunette in front of him. Usually when he was around Bella, he couldn't stop talking. Even when he wanted to.

Now, when she probably needed someone to talk to her more than ever, he was at a complete loss of words. He didn't want to make anything worse than it was, though, considering he wasn't even sure what had made her so upset.

All he knew was that it had to do with Edward. And that alone made Mike want to strangle him.

Finally letting his emotions overrule his logic, he stepped forward, sitting down quietly next to Bella. Much to his dismay, she completely ignored his existence. He imagined she was used to him following her every move by now, and simply didn't see the point in greeting him anymore.

He sighed heavily, staring forward, neither of the teens saying a word.

It wasn't until he heard a small noise from the girl next to her, that he turned to face her.

Her head was down, her dark hair hiding her face, making it impossible to read her expression. He realized that the small noise, which he could have sworn was a whimper, upset him quite a bit for some reason. What was wrong with Edward? How could he make _Bella_ of all people cry? He angrily balled his hands into fists at the very thought, wondering if the jerk had even lost any sleep over it. Why did he have to single out the new girl? Edward and his friends were infamous for ignoring everyone, not being cruel.

Composing himself, Mike sighed again and cautiously lifted a shaky hand, placing it gently on her shoulder. His heart skipped a beat when she jumped, instantly looking up at him. Just by her expression, Mike knew right away that he'd made a mistake. Though, her expression was hard to explain. He imagined if you mixed the terms 'offended', 'confused', and 'shocked' together, you'd get the look on Bella's face.

Several awkward seconds later, Mike removed his hand, placing it in his lap, and hanging his head.

"Sorry..." he muttered nervously.

Bella swallowed before inhaling deeply, not bothering to look at him as she spoke. "You're fine. I was just... I don't know... Going to wait for the rain to slow down a bit before heading home."

Mike twisted his mouth to the side, knowing that was far from the truth. Typically Bella could be seen running for her pick-up, choosing to brave the rain rather than hang around Forks High School longer than she had to. He lifted his hand again, hesitating before thinking better of it, and placing it back in his lap.

"...So, what's up with you, girl? You look kind of down..."

Bella chuckled cynically, not sure if she was annoyed that he rarely called her by her name anymore, or charmed that he had an apparent nickname for her. (However unoriginal it may have been.)

Not one to let on about what she was feeling, especially to Mike of all people, she simply shrugged. "I'm fine."

Mike pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Bella was usually considerably unreadable, but somehow it was still obvious that something was bothering her now. He turned to face her again, opting to go out on a limb.

"Well I doubt the rain's going to clear up anytime soon, so you're stuck here on these steps with me. Might as well tell me what's going on."

Though she didn't turn to face him, Mike was very aware of the scowl that appeared on Bella's face. Considering her obvious displeasure with him, he was surprised to hear her answer him anyway.

"I just had a rough time in Biology yesterday. That's all."

No other words were needed. It didn't take a genius to know that the source of her unhappiness didn't come from the assignment given that day, or a grade she'd received.

It all came back to Edward.

Mike was vaguely aware that Edward was acting strangely with her the day before. Though he kept an eye out for her, he hadn't really thought anything of it. Acting strange was simply what Edward did best. Apparently Bella, being the new girl, wasn't used to this little detail yet. He wished Edward would have just taken it easy on her, given the fact. He could have at least _pretended_ he knew how to act normal... Wasn't Bella worth it?

Mike shook head head, lifting his hand for the third time that afternoon to pat her knee, relieved when she didn't react. "Don't let it ruin your day, girl. He's not even here today. He won't bother you."

Bella looked him up and down, surprised that he knew she was referring to Edward. After a moment, she hung her head again, accidently letting a sniffle escape.

"I know he's not here today... That's what bothers me... Yesterday he seemed so annoyed by me, and now--"

"--And now you think he's gone because of you," Mike finished for her. He frowned when she nodded, once again blinking back tears. Bella wasn't exactly one to cry, he'd thought. He imagined her tears were simply the result of anger. Either way, they didn't suit her. Perhaps it was that very reason that he felt the need to make her feel better.

"C-C'mon Bells, listen, that Cullen kid? He's crazy," he made a spinning motion with his index finger for emphasis. His hands nervously shook when she offered an annoyed smile. He didn't even know a smile _could_ be annoyed... But apparently Bella could pull it off. He cleared his throat before going on. "That's just how they all act. Seriously, don't take it personally."

Bella shrugged again. "I don't know how else to take it. He was just fine until I walked in. As soon as I sat down, he seemed desperate to get away from me. He wouldn't talk to me and kept acting weird. I even heard him asking to transfer out of the class yesterday. Now all of the sudden he's not here... It _has_ to be me."

Mike moved his hand from her knee to her back, gently rubbing it, pleased once again that she didn't react. "It's silly that you would even think that just sitting by him would have so much of a negative impact on him..." He paused, searching for the right words. "People get sick, you know. Maybe he just wasn't feeling well this morning. I'm sure he'll be back soon. After all, he--"

He stopped mid-sentence when Bella hid her face in her hands again, obviously struggling to not show any weakness by crying.

"I hate this place," she muttered into her hands. Mike grimaced, unsure of what to say, or if it was even appropriate to speak at that exact moment. "I truly, seriously hate Forks. Coming to live in a place where the sun hardly ever shines just wasn't enough. No, now the guy who sits next to me in my biology class hates my guts, and I don't even know why."

It seemed to him that she'd managed to say all this in one breath, and winced when she inhaled sharply. Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into a firm hug, guiding her head to his chest. He was a bit surprised to find that this silenced her instantly. Whether it was because she was comforted or annoyed, however, he had no idea. All he knew was that he had to silence the heart-breaking sound of the girl he loved crying.

After a few seconds, she still hadn't said a word, or attempted to move. She hadn't yelled at him or slapped him yet... That was a good sign, right?

Sighing, he rested his chin gently on the top of her head, slowly rocking them back and forth together. "Don't be upset, Bella. Seriously... No guy is worth your tears, much less Cullen. He's not thinking on it right now and neither should you. You're beautiful and sweet... He's missing out. No doubt about it."

An awkward pause followed...

Finally, Bella slowly lifted her head, smiling weakly up at the boy holding her. "Thanks... It never hurts to know that someone else cares... You're a good friend."

_Friend_...

The word stung for some reason.

More than likely because he'd thought he'd been comforting her as the rebound-guy throughout the entire conversation. Apparently, Bella only saw him as the consoling 'friend'.

He shook his thoughts off, deciding to focus on Bella and what she needed, rather than the hundreds of thoughts buzzing through his mind at the moment.

"The rain's not going to clear up anytime soon, Bells," he informed her softly, shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and holding it above her head. "I'll walk you to your truck, if you'd like..."

Bella's blank expression returned as she stood up, hugging her jacket to herself tighter as she followed him out into the rain.

Mike did everything in his power to impress her, from opening the door for her, to helping her into her seat, to adjusting her jacket on her shoulders, all to no avail. She muttered her thanks, driving off, as he stood in the rain staring after her, not caring that he was getting drenched. It had certainly been an interesting conversation...

But now, about three things, Mike Newton was absolutely positve:

First, Bella was a normal teenaged girl, who needed reassurance sometimes, just like anyone else.

Second, there was a part of her-- and he didn't know how dominate that part may be-- that actually liked him deep down.

And third, he was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with her.

It was unfortunate, he realized, that she didn't feel the same way.


End file.
